Phishing websites are being detected more quickly than ever with the result that the average phishing website is now only online for 5.5 days. The APWG say this is down to increasingly effective anti-phishing countermeasures.

Peter Cassidy, secretary-general of the APWG reveals in an interview that "it means the work by the forensic and counterphishing community is working."

In a report outlining phishing trends in August, the group found that for the second month in a row, new phishing campaigns declined but new phishing sites reached a record 5,259.

The report also reveals that whereas about 12 months ago a phishing website could expect to remain online for well over a week, anti-phishing countermeasures and an increasingly hardline attitude taken by ISPs and web hosts alike have decreased this statistic to 5.5 days. Banks themselves are increasingly taking a much more proactive approach in dealing with the problem/